Elizabeth’s Early Problems Flashcards
When did Elizabeth become Queen
1558
Religious divisions in 1558
-England had been catholic for nearly 1000 years under the Pope until Henry VIII became head of church
-Protestants and catholics were highly opposing
Four key issues about the church
-Head of Church and Bishops
-Decoration and Music
-The Clergy
-The Bible and Church services
Religious turmoil
She didn’t know whether to keep the Catholic religion , following her sister Mary , or return to Protestantism
Poverty and unemployment
Reducing hardship and poverty as much as possible , if harvests , wars or other things went badly , unemployment and high prices would lead to unpopularity , striking rebellion
Who would be part of her Privvy council
Who should she choose to be her councillors ? Should she just do it for support , or for religion?
Who is the next heir?
Elizabeth had to produce a clear heir if not there would be a civil war
France and Spain
-two most powerful countries , both catholic
-England was at war with France , who allied with Scotland , providing a base to invade England
-she had to defend her country or she could be desposed
Power of a women?
-women were inferior and could not lead the country
-she had to marry to appease the public
Elizabeths legitimacy ?
Questioned by some catholics who believed she couldn’t be Queen because her parents marriage had been illegal
What were the problems Elizabeth faced in 1558
-challenges from abroad
-marriage and the succession
-doubts whether a Queen could rule successfully
-choosing her councillors
-religious divisions
-Elizabeth’s legitimacy
-financial weakness - war with France
-peace and prosperity
What did she do about her privy council
-William Cecil was her Secretary of State
-aimed for 20 councillors , thanking all past councillors for their work in order to keep their support
-did not make her Closest friend , Dudley a councillor for another 4 years in order to prevent jealousy
-kept about 10 councillors who served under Mary , including high ranking and powerful nobles with considerable experience
-also chose new councillors from relatives and trusted colleagues / supporters
What are the extra steps Elizabeth took to avoid tension in her council
-full council did not always meet
-much of the business of government was carried out by a small ring of her most trusted Protestant advisors
How did Elizabeth resolve financial weakness
Severely cut back government spending rights and strictly monitored the costs of her household
-exchequer officials were ordered to balance the accounts and call in all debts
-crown lands sold off
Exchequer
Looked after the crowns money
Scotland
Ruled by Mary Queen of Scots who was married to the Heir of the French throne
-in danger of a joint attack
France
England had allied with Spain against France
France also had a direct interest in the crown ( Mary QOS)
-catholic country and many thought Mary should rule England
-wanted to invade on her behalf
What did Elizabeth do about challenges from abroad
Peace was signed with France in Jan 1559
-treaty of Cateau-Cambresis
-Calais lost forever
How did Elizabeth deal with the problem of her legitimacy
Realistically she could not do anything , even marriage and children would not change the prospect of her legitimacy
How did Elizabeth deal with the problem of marriage and succession
-she turned down potential husbands : Philip II and Eric of Sweden , as she focused on the immediate problems of the war with France and religious settlement
-later interested in Archduke Charles and then Duke Francis , but they were both catholic and her advisors were against this as this seemed problematic
How did Elizabeth deal with creating peace and prosperity
Key issues = quality of harvests and epidemic of disease
Poverty could lead to uprise
Harvest in 1558 was very good
She was not really in control of this so could not do anything but hope
How did Elizabeth deal with the head of church and the bishops
-Elizabeth was head of church but was titled Supreme Governor
-all judges , government officials , MPs , and clergy had to take an oath refusing Elizabeths title
-bishops would run the church
If people did not take the oath accepting Elizabeth’s title
They would be imprisoned , if they refused 3 times they were executed
What was the impact of Elizabeths head of church and the bishops
Acceptable to most people
-ordinary catholics accepted the title governor , as they could tell themselves the Pope was still the head of the church
How did Elizabeth deal with church decoration and music
-ornaments and decorations were allowed in churches
-singing of hymns continued
What was the impact of Elizabeth’s church decoration and music
-appearance of church was very very important to people
-by making no changes , most people were content apart from puritans
How did Elizabeth deal with the Bible and Church services
-had to be in English
-every church had to have a Bible written in English
-new Protestant prayer book had to be used in every church
Impacts of Elizabeth’s Bible and church services
-omission of Latin mass was unacceptable to catholics , but eventually they accepted this as they could take mass secretly later
-Elizabeth’s government knew about this , but didn’t mind as long as the catholics seemed loyal
How did Elizabeth deal with the clergy
All clergy had to take an oath , recognising Elizabeth’s title and agreeing to use the new prayer book
-had to wear a surplice rather than the pure black gowns puritans preferred
-were allowed to marry
Impact of Elizabeth’s clergy
Most churchmen took the oath of loyalty
Only 250/9000 refused
This meant that services would be conducted by someone usual and familiar
